e-Driver Research
Cost reduction and increased productivity
Commissioned by the Dutch Transport and Logistics Sector Institute (STL), we conducted a pilot to strengthen ownership among drivers regarding safe and professional behaviour. We focused on deepening cooperation between team leads and employees.
The pilot was prompted by the KOBA-DI (cost-benefit) tool of TNO and the National Platform for Sustainable Employability (NPDI). This tool shows that dialogue between team leads and employees plays a key role in reducing failure costs. In September 2018, the pilot ‘Synergy’ began at six large and medium-sized transport organisations.
Dialogue to activate ownership
Of course, countless conversations are held in organisations every day. But a unifying dialogue on topics that permanently encourage safe and professional behaviour is rare. Even then, both conversation partners must present their views effectively and gain from the conversation. As various studies show that behavioural change requires an ongoing approach, during the pilot, we implemented a continuous process to permanently facilitate dialogue.
For employees, this entailed interactive online preparation. This helped team leads because they were then able to prepare for the conversation in just a few minutes. Team leads also followed an adaptive coaching programme by leadership expert Remco Claassen. The programme automatically adapted to the contact between team leads and employees. Management information on the quality of the contact was used to develop tools to further improve employee ownership and optimise the coaching programme.
Dialogue not self-evident
It soon became clear that conversations on safe and professional behaviour were not self-evident in the transport sector. Safety targets and behavioural guidelines did not usually offer sufficient guidance, or they were not sufficiently taken on board by employees. To ensure effective dialogue, we drew up safety targets and behavioural guidelines together with the six organisations involved in the pilot.
The research findings
- Absenteeism fell demonstrably, with absenteeism costs even dropping by €609 per employee annually.
- The investment for the activation and measurement systems and training was €80 per employee, resulting in a positive ROI. Including a provisional sum for management support, the ROI exceeds 450%. Savings due to reduced fleet damage and staff turnover or absence and the like are not included in the calculation.
- The personal e-Driver platform inspires drivers to participate in vitality and personal growth programmes run by the Dutch Transport and Logistics Sector Institute. The result was significantly higher participation. Previous studies by TÜV Rheinland confirm this.
Based on the results, the potential revenue for employers across the transport sector is
€ 96.000.000
Key figures: 158,362 employees in Q4 2020. The result is based on the direct effect of absenteeism reduction.
The effects of increased productivity, reduced staff turnover, claims reduction, lower consequential loss and so on are not included in the calculation.
Lessons learned
Thanks to this pilot, we learned that an automatically facilitated dialogue provides immediate guidance for reducing safety risks. Management information on the root cause of inadequate cooperation gives management unprecedented insights into how to reduce failure costs. A high-quality dialogue that generates management information therefore proves not to be a luxury but a necessity.
We know from behavioural science that new behaviour quickly gives way to old routines following an intervention. After the programme, therefore, all results had virtually disappeared within a few months. This shows that only continuous education and an ongoing approach leads to lasting behavioural change.
e-driver
Embedding ownership in workplace culture
The Activate Safety module emerged from this pilot. The accessible approach gives organisations the tools required to shape empowering cooperation, resulting in safe driving behaviour – with absenteeism reduction and reduced staff turnover as additional benefits. Activate Safety sets itself apart by embedding safety targets and behavioural guidelines in workplace culture. This turns out to be the decisive factor for sustainably activating employees’ sense of ownership. Activate Safety is a proven solution to one of the most complex issues facing employers today.
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